Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!ames!umd5!purdue!gatech!hao!oddjob!gargoyle!ddsw1!igloo!learn
From: learn@igloo.UUCP (william vajk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: XENIX VS Micoport
Message-ID: <367@igloo.UUCP>
Date: 20 Jan 88 05:31:09 GMT
References: <16217@watmath.waterloo.edu> <166@bhjat.UUCP>
Organization: igloo, Northbrook, IL
Lines: 81
Summary: whose flaming anyway ?

In article <166@bhjat.UUCP>, bhj@bhjat.UUCP (Burt Janz) writes:

> Oh, for crying out loud!  I have Microport SV/AT 2.3, and am pleased as all
> heck about the state of the software.  I've been using uport since 1.36, and
> have noticed nothing BUT improvements in each update of the software.

I too have noticed many improvements, and most were sorely needed by an
immature product, rapidly approaching usability comparable to other OS
software available, albeit at a somewhat higher price.

I have not seen any 'enhancements' in the upgrades, or rather, if they
are indeed there, from my vantage point, they have been overshadowed
by the problems that still exist, the places where MY attention is focused.

> I'm using a clone AT (no name - bought from the importer...), a Maxtor 1065
> and a Quantum 540 (55 and 35mb), 2 serial/2 parallel, 3.5mb, and so forth...

For heaven's sakes, if you have a really working system, I DO want to hear
about it, and want to hear exact details of the equipment you are running. I
have heard fleeting commentary about 'microport works' and wish mine did. Please
mail me your exact configuration, including whose sio board you are using, all
the details. I might just be able to duplicate your success. Also please
advise how many of the ports are actively used, and how many are used at one
time. Is your system public access ? Do you get the newsfeed at a time that
you and/or others are accessing the system ? Or is your newsfeed at a time when
nothing else is happpening ? It is very easy to say 'it works' and just as easy
for me to say 'mine doesn't.' Point is, there are apparently conditions where
it does, and times/circumstances where it won't. I've been working as much
as possible with uport to close that gap, and will continue to do so. The new
drivers are installed on igloo, and that has given some relief. 

> What do you want for ~$600?  Perfection?!?  And, with the number of problems
> that I note in comp.unix.xenix, XENIX hacks have NO room to flame on
> Microport!

First of all, the microport I purchased was well over $700 (1.36), and I 
purchased one upgrade (2.3) for it, so the total is approximately $800.
I am not a XENIX hack, barely a UNIX hack, and I've devoted an inordinate 
amount of time to uport on this system. Money has nothing to do with this, 
though if it did, the complete xenix package can be found for just under 
$1000 thru discounters ('286 version). If a bus that you paid 50 cents to 
ride runs late, and you have resulting problems, is it ok cause 
'what can you expect for 50 cents ?' Gimme a break already, and quit with 
the religion here. People buy a product expecting it to work, and don't buy
a cheaper product (softwarewise) as a compromise to needed functionality.

> I obviously have news running, am currently porting a spreadsheet over
> to UNIX, doing other support work, have someone else dialing into my system
> and getting news, and do multiple other tasks under it.
 
Wasn't obvious to me. Does this 'other person' (I assume you mean one person
or machine) run 'rn' while you are getting your newsfeed ? I have no problems
when the console is being used for limited tasking now either, and cpu loading
is never a problem. Offsite users running bbs software, or even catting a file
using a pager, do cause sufficient timeouts to lose the feed, at least they
do on igloo. I want to hear some success stories under these circumstances.
I can run two polls to other machines at the same time. Screen refresh is what
seems to kill off polling.

> Ok.  So, we have a reasonably good product at a reasonably good price, with
> (at least) reasonably good support.
> 
When you call to get a patch for a manufacturer's problem, that isn't support,
that's repair. When you call cause you don't know something, or botch it up
yourself, that's support. I have asked for repairs and so, obviously, have you
in the case of the ansi terminfo. It was broken, they repaired it, and that
bodes well of any vendor. I hope the rest of the repairs are as rapidly
forthcoming. If I didn't have faith in uport fixing problems in the very near
future, I wouldn't bother working with their product, and would already
have switched to xenix. As things presently stand, I am working in concert with
engineering at uport, have offered my machine as a place to let pedestrian
users beat the heck out of the product, and report how well/badly stuff works
here under a field level stress on a machine with an etc/passwd file that
is 137 lines. Maybe not big by conventional standards, but sizable for a
little '286 box with 2 phone lines, the full development package, the
documenters' workbench package, a full newsfeed, and two commercial BBS
packages running side by side, sporting 92 megs worth of HD and 5.5 meg ram.

Please follow up with mail regarding your exact hardware configuration. Thanks.


Bill Vajk                                               learn@igloo